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Transcript question- How do you calibrate grades across multiple providers?


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If you've used multiple providers, with different criteria for grades, how do you deal with that on the transcript?

 

For example, if my transcript says A = 90-100, but on one of the provider's grade reports, 99-100 = A+, do I just list it as an A on my transcript?

Or if some providers just say A = 90-100, but some say A- = 90-93, A = 94-96, A+ = 97-100, and your student has a 92, let's say, from the A = 90-100 provider, do you still record that as an A?

 

Do you just go with whatever letter grade is on the grade report from the provider and not even try to calibrate things to some standard?

 

 

 

 

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If you've used multiple providers, with different criteria for grades, how do you deal with that on the transcript?

 

For example, if my transcript says A = 90-100, but on one of the provider's grade reports, 99-100 = A+, do I just list it as an A on my transcript?

Or if some providers just say A = 90-100, but some say A- = 90-93, A = 94-96, A+ = 97-100, and your student has a 92, let's say, from the A = 90-100 provider, do you still record that as an A?

 

Do you just go with whatever letter grade is on the grade report from the provider and not even try to calibrate things to some standard?

I have no experience with the lettergrades or transcripts, but my first reaction is:

Never change the grade of an outside provider (that would not be possible here) and therefore I would work a lot with asterixes * Saying: * at this provider A- = .....

or I would use footnotes.

 

But I can imagine that breaks the lay out of the transcript,

And I don't know how common it is.

 

So count this post as a bump :)

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I reported A+'s from outside provider's as A's on the transcript/  I had a small blurb in my homeschool profile stating that while some providers awarded A+'s for grades above 97 percent, I reported them as simply A's on the transcript in an attempt to have a uniform grading system.  However, I don't think it really matters how you handle it.

 

I reported SAT scores.  I did not report PSAT scores as the colleges don't care about that score.

 

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I listed grades exactly as given by providers on the transcript but counted A+ as A when calculating GPA. I put a note in my school profile about my own grading scale as well as all the outside grading scales where I listed external providers. For UCs, they did not ask for any school profile so we just sent the transcript and it was accepted.

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I haven't had to so far. My grading scale is tougher (93% A, no minuses, but includes pluses (89-92% B+)) or matches every outside provider we've used so far.

This is a great question.  :lurk5:

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Quark and Snowbelt, did your students have all A's or A+'s?

 

Any A-'s?   If so, did you just leave them as A-'s or did you list both A+'s and A-'s as A's?

 

Quark, when you talked about the outside grading scales in your profile, did you write in the scale for each provider?

 

 

 

 

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Quark and Snowbelt, did your students have all A's or A+'s?

 

Any A-'s?   If so, did you just leave them as A-'s or did you list both A+'s and A-'s as A's?

 

Quark, when you talked about the outside grading scales in your profile, did you write in the scale for each provider?

He had all A's.  However, some of his A's were from outside providers that didn't use the +/- grading scheme.  Had these providers used that system, then those A's would have been A+'s.  He didn't have any A-'s, but if he would have, I would have converted that to an A as well in order to keep things uniform. 

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Thanks, Snowbelt. 

My sons each have one A- and several A+'s, so I guess it's not really unethical/questionable to just go with A's for both.

Looking at their transcript, though, also made me wonder if it doesn't look questionable/something to have all A's, esp as a home schooler?  I know it's not unusual for better students at public schools to not only have A's but to have weighted grades putting the gpa way above a 4.0.  And I feel like the providers to whom we've outsourced have almost all been at least equal to the better/best teachers we would have found at the local b&m. (Lukeion, TPS's English 3-6 classes, PAHS...) And their SAT, SAT subject, and AP scores all support the grades they have in the particular subjects tested.

 

I'm not going to worry about it, but it does make me wonder how college admissions can conclude anything at all from home school grades or from grades from any little, unknown private school.  In a ps or in a larger, established private school, they get a feel for what an "A" means at different public schools just from experience w/ sheer numbers.

 

 

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Quark and Snowbelt, did your students have all A's or A+'s?

 

Any A-'s? If so, did you just leave them as A-'s or did you list both A+'s and A-'s as A's?

 

Quark, when you talked about the outside grading scales in your profile, did you write in the scale for each provider?

All As and A+s with no A-s but I would have done what snowbelt mom said. I didn't include a full scale from A to D etc. I only included the provider's range for As. I hope that helps!

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I included my own scale (not using + and -) and then recorded the grades from outside providers using that scale. So no pluses or minuses- even if an outside provider used them.

 

I figure as long as it's uniform in application it's reasonable to handle that way.

 

Hopefully admissions will agree.

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(snip), but it does make me wonder how college admissions can conclude anything at all from home school grades or from grades from any little, unknown private school.  In a ps or in a larger, established private school, they get a feel for what an "A" means at different public schools just from experience w/ sheer numbers.

I think this is why standardized test scores are so important for the vast majority of all students, whether they are homeschooled or traditionally schooled. 

 

I have a friend who is worrying about this issue now, and her D attends public school.  She has received all A's in all of her high school classes, yet she has not scored above a 2 on any of her AP exams (nor has any of her classmates). My friend is worried that the colleges will view those A's with skepticism.  I think my friend's concerns are valid. 

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I had this question, too, and am doing as snowbeltmom and quark described above.  I am actually following the local high school's grading system, just because it seemed easiest for him to be compared to his peers in that way.  But I honestly don't think it matters that much.  We had one outside provider that used a +/- system, so when he did have an A+ in one, and an A- in one, but I just made them both A's.  I did not calculate any kind of +/- into the GPA.  I did weight the GPA for honors or AP classes, but again, just in line with what the local public high school is doing.

 

Should I also include the unweighted GPA on the transcript?  Or just let them figure it out?

 

Also, did you all put AP scores on the transcript?

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I have a friend who is worrying about this issue now, and her D attends public school.  She has received all A's in all of her high school classes, yet she has not scored above a 2 on any of her AP exams (nor has any of her classmates). My friend is worried that the colleges will view those A's with skepticism.  I think my friend's concerns are valid. 

 

I have a relative who had straight As in high school, honor society, etc. She took the ACT multiple times & always scored the national average which is below the state average where she lives. A sibling of this relative was an IB graduate, but her ACT never got close to 30. So, either they were poor test takers or the grading & school system were inflated. Or both?

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I think this is why standardized test scores are so important for the vast majority of all students, whether they are homeschooled or traditionally schooled. 

 

I have a friend who is worrying about this issue now, and her D attends public school.  She has received all A's in all of her high school classes, yet she has not scored above a 2 on any of her AP exams (nor has any of her classmates). My friend is worried that the colleges will view those A's with skepticism.  I think my friend's concerns are valid. 

 

I completely agree. 

 

Drives me bonkers to spend time agonizing over how to deal w/ this "+" or that "-" or whatever grading triviality, when I can't seen how these grades could really tell an admissions person anything. We have used outside providers, but I doubt they know many/any of them. An "A" from Lukeion means a lot to me and to my students, but can it mean anything special to someone who hasn't heard of, or dealt much with, Lukeion? I don't think so.  Standardized test scores, however, will mean something to admissions people because it's a clear way of comparing huge numbers of students, on a first-cut, general level.

 

And I completely agree that your friend's concerns are valid. Schools, with their grade inflation, kind of sedate parents, or lull them into a false sense of security... "My child is a straight A student with a 4.85 gpa! They're headed for the Ivy League!"  If the parent had known the child's true level, they might have opted for tutoring. They might have raised a fuss with the school to provide better instruction. They might have moved their child to a better school. I can see where it would be easy for schools to let grade inflation go.... Keeps students happy. Keeps parents happy. Maintains the school's status quo.....  By the time reality hits, it's too late for the families to do anything, other than make other decisions for their younger children.

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I had this question, too, and am doing as snowbeltmom and quark described above.  I am actually following the local high school's grading system, just because it seemed easiest for him to be compared to his peers in that way.  But I honestly don't think it matters that much.  We had one outside provider that used a +/- system, so when he did have an A+ in one, and an A- in one, but I just made them both A's.  I did not calculate any kind of +/- into the GPA.  I did weight the GPA for honors or AP classes, but again, just in line with what the local public high school is doing.

 

Should I also include the unweighted GPA on the transcript?  Or just let them figure it out?

 

Also, did you all put AP scores on the transcript?

 

I think the answer will depend on where your child is applying.  I didn't weight the gpa on either of my boys' transcripts because they were applying to schools that do not award merit aid.  I have no idea what my daughter's final list will look like this time next year.  If she has schools on her list that award merit aid based on GPA and test scores, I am going to weight her GPA as I think at some schools that does make a difference.  (At this point I have no idea how to even weight a GPA, so I will have some leg work to do if I decide to go that route with her.)

 

I do list AP scores on the transcript.

 

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